PubliCola’s Primary Election night party at the Five Point Cafe was a mob scene last night, (thus the latest Morning Fizz ever) with appearances by U.S. Reps Jim McDermott and Jay Inslee (he trash-talked U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert), state Sens. Jeanne Kohl-Welles and Adam Kline, and state Reps. Eric Pettigrew, Ross Hunter, and Reuven Carlyle (he told us how he schooled Mayor Mike McGinn on the phone earlier that day re: the cost overruns debate).
More on all those asides later today.
Also on hand: Progressive fave Joe Fitzgibbon (we’ve got a PubliColaTV interview queued up for later), the young candidate in the 34th legislative district who emerged from the crowded primary field and will face Democrat Mike Heavey in November. (Heavey was in first, 33 to 32, after last night’s vote.)
Here’s Fitzgibbon with his sister, who flew in from D.C. for primary night:
And here’s Josh with U.S.Rep Inslee (who won last night with 56 percent):
And here’s some Morning (after) Fizz:
1. Tea Party revolution? No. Rather than being kingmakers, the Tea Party may be spoilers in November.
Republicans like Dino Rossi (who came through the U.S. Senate primary with 34 to incumbent Democratic Sen. Patty Murray’s 46) and Jaime Herrera (coming in second in her Third Congressional District race last night with 27 percent to Democrat Denny Heck’s 32 percent) need to tack to the middle in order to make up the difference in the general.
That may be difficult. Tea Partier Clint Didier (who got 12 percent in the U.S. Senate contest) already told the Seattle Times that he wants a meeting with Dino Rossi to get some promises before he supports him.
2. Republican revolution? Yes. Maybe. In the Eastside Seattle suburbs where moderate Republicans are trying to take back the “crescent” swing turf that they lost last decade in the state legislature.
Three incumbent Democratic state senators, Eric Oemig in the 45th, Claudia Kauffman in the 47th, and Randy Gordon in the 41st, are losing to Andy Hill, Joe Fain, and Steve Litzow (a GOPer who’s on NARAL’s political action committee board) respectively.
Also, Republican incumbent, Rep. Glenn Anderson—one of the last GOP incumbents on the Eastside, had an impressive showing against two Democratic challengers, getting 58 percent.
And, at the federal level, U.S. Rep Dave Reichert scored 48 percent.
In a bright spot for the Democrats on the Eastside, house finance chair (the budget guy), Rep. Ross Hunter (D-48) blew out his high-profile GOP challenger, former Republican state party chair Diane Tebelius, 53 to 45. Meanwhile, incumbent Democrats, state Sen. Rodney Tom and liberal Rep.Roger Goodman are locked in jump balls with their GOP opponents, Gregg Bennett and Kevin Hastings respectively.
3. Independent expenditures work. No they don’t.
Independent political committees—groups that raise money independently of candidates and then weigh in with mailers and TV spots to affect the race—showed up biggest against incumbent Everett Democratic Sen. Jean Berkey (D-38) and against State Supreme Court Justice Jim Johnson.
This was liberal money—the unions were dead-set on ousting Berkey (whom they view as a conservative for voting for state worker furloughs and for killing a move to end a tax loophole for big banks) and on ousting Johnson, the arch conservative on the court.
The candidate the liberal IEs backed in the Berkey race, young newcomer Nick Harper, a progressive, came in first with 35 percent. Incumbent Berkey got just 33 percent.
However, in the Johnson race, Johnson trounced his opponent, Stan Rumbaugh, 63 to 37 last night.
4. State Sen. Steve Hobbs (D-44, Snohomish) was also the target of independent spending in the primary. Hobbs, the leader of the conservative caucus in the state legislature, was targeted by unions. However, Hobbs did well last night, coming in first with 37 while his progressive challenger flopped with just 15 percent. David Schmidt, a Republican, came in second with 35.
Another independent expenditure standoff could be shaping up here for the general, though, that may pit teachers unions vs. reformers in the education reform debate.
Hobbs is a darling of the ed reform movement and backed by big dollars from the Stand For Children PAC). Meanwhile, the teachers union has already endorsed Republican Schmidt.
Look for the traditionally pro-Democratic unions to go after Hobbs again
5. Some other noteworthy (and surprising) results:
•Even after the Seattle Times abandoned him, U.S. Rep. Dave Reichert (R-8, Eastside Seattle Suburbs) got 48 percent last night over Microsoft-y Democratic challenger Suzan DelBene, who got 26.
•Liberal state Rep. Tami Green (D-28, W. Tacoma, University Place, Lakewood), who heads up the house liberal caucus and was widely viewed as vulnerable heading into the primary, came out with a solid 48 percent, in first place over the nearest Republican, Paul Wagemann, who got 27 percent. Even more surprising: the other Republican, a Lakewood police officer, Brian Wurts, campaigning on the (understandable) but reactionary fervor to this year’s shooting, came in third.
• A sales and use tax in Thurston County (.2 percent) to fund transit passed by 63 percent.
• Incumbent State Sen. Chris Marr (D-6, Spokane area) came in second to his GOP challenger Michael Baumgartner.
• Ultra-conservative 2nd U.S. Congressional District John Koster is neck and neck with Democratic incumbent U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen in Northwest Washington. Larsen is winning, barely, 42.8 to 40.9.
